Fuel, gold prices up, cooking oil down in Kabul — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): Fuel and gold prices increased while the price of cooking oil declined in Kabul during the outgoing week, market sources said on Saturday. Hikmatullah Muhammadi, an employee at a fuel station in Kabul’s Wazirabad area, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the price of one litre of petrol rose from 86 afs to 89 afs, while diesel increased from 78 afs to 79 afs per litre. He attributed the increase to the closure of the Salang Pass, reduced imports and higher demand in Kabul markets. This came despite a decline in global petroleum prices. According to the Euronext website, the price of crude oil, an important indicator of global markets, fell from $104.61 per barrel at the close of trading on Friday, September 11, to $103.87 at the close of trading on Friday, September 18. Mohammad Jan Amin, a shopkeeper in Kabul’s Dahan-i-Bagh area, said one kilogramme of liquefied gas was selling for 65 afs. Zmarai Safi, head of the Food Traders’ Association, said the price of 16 litres of Malaysian cooking oil fell from 2,000 afs to 1,950 afs. He said prices of other essential food items remained unchanged, with a 49kg bag of Kazakh flour selling for 1,600 afs, a 49kg bag of Indian sugar for 2,650 afs, a 24kg bag of Indian rice for 2,500 afs,…